Too smart to be scammed?

I'm too smart to get scammed. That's what I thought until 5:30 Monday afternoon. That's the time when my friend and I realized we were out $1,500 to an elaborate scam involving a fake Durham County Sheriff’s Department. The scam involves your being told there is an arrest warrant out for your skipping jury duty. It continues with a fake phone number that sounds exactly like the sheriff's office when you call. Eventually it ends when you purchase cash cards and give the lying crooks the validation numbers. It was clever, elaborate and believable.

So if you get any call from someone claiming to represent law enforcement, please validate their legitimacy yourself. Do not call any numbers they give you. Determine the correct number yourself.

We were sucked in because we respect the legal system and did not have the proper suspicious attitude that is unfortunately necessary in today's world. Even an attorney friend of ours whom we called was fooled by these jerks.

I'm too smart to be scammed? Live and learn. Sometimes the lessons are expensive. Pass this info on to your friends and family.

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